Word Origin & History

revise 1567, "to look at again," from M.Fr. reviser, from L. revisere "look at again, visit again," frequentative of revidere (pp. revisus), from re- "again" + videre "to see" (see vision). Meaning "to look over again with intent to improve or amend" is recorded from 1596. The Revised Version of the Bible was done 1870-84; so called because it was a revision of the 1611 ("King James") translation, also known as the Authorized Version. Revision (1611) is from Fr. revision, from L.L. revisionem (nom. revisio) "a seeing again," from L. revisus, pp. of revidere. Revisionism is attested from 1903; originally ...in Marxist jargon; revisionist in the historical sense is from 1934, originally with ref. to the causes of World War I.